Shanghai will tighten its enforcement of rules requiring household waste be sorted and take steps to promote recycling, the city’s mayor, Ying Yong, announced on Sunday.

The announcement came during Shanghai's annual “Two Sessions” series of legislative meetings, which saw the municipal government  submit draft regulations aimed at improving the city’s waste management system, in part by clarifying standards for the classification, supervision, and reduction of household waste. The city also announced it would complete construction on 10 new recycling centers by year’s end, local media reported.

On Sunday, city official Xiao Guiyu noted that in 2018 Shanghai households produced nearly 26,000 tons of garbage a day, straining the capacity of the city’s waste management facilities and posing a threat to the environment.